The chairman of the House Commerce Committee said during an informational session Wednesday that the U.S. Environmental Agency is pandering to the far left wing of the Democratic Party as it burdens Arizona with unnecessary regulations.

On its face, the Arizona Board of Regents and the universities they govern have little, if anything, to do with the state’s Medicaid program or Gov. Jan Brewer’s plans to expand it in accordance with the federal Affordable Care Act.

The Arizona Commerce Authority thus far has not released its list of finalists for outgoing CEO Don Cardon’s job, but one source who’s familiar with the search said Arizona Chamber of Commerce President Glenn Hamer is in contention and has been interviewed for the position.

An editorial in The Arizona Republic last month, “Let’s Get Facts On Private Prisons,” encouraged lawmakers to make policy decisions on public-private partnerships in corrections based on data supported by facts.
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry wholeheartedly agrees.

During the past few years, Arizona has done more than any state to position itself for strong economic growth once the national economy recovers. In particular, the broad-based tax reforms and new economic development tools contained in last year’s competitiveness package laid a strong foundation on which to grow the state’s economy.